November 8, 2010: The Stow Special Town meeting voted unanimously to fund the Town's 20% share of the cost to design the "Track Road" portion of the trail, using Community Preservation Act monies.

July 27, 2009: The Town of Stow and the owner of 'Track Road' have signed the easement purchase that the May 2008 Town Meeting had authorized. The final price was $220,000, which was provided by Federal, Town and Stow Conservation Trust funds. So the access to all 1.9 miles of Track Road in Stow, is now resolved. ...map

May 6, 2008: The Stow Town meeting voted overwhelming in favor of the last piece of the 'Track Road' easement purchase after much discussion. A counter amendment to prevent paving the future bike trail (in Stow) was defeated. When combined with the section acquired in 2004, the town will have access to the entire 1.9 miles between Sudbury Road and the Stow-Maynard town line, the longest uninterupted segment in the 12.5 mile, five-community rail trail. The next step is for Stow and the Commonwealth to apply for the funding to design and build this section of the trail.

August 2005: Stow and the Track Road/Crow Island property owner have signed the recreational easement for 7,100 linear feet of the RR right of way, including 1,300 feet of Assabet riverfront, for a total 21 acres. This is the first of the Stow properties to have a completed trail agreement. The section is not open to the public yet, as there is still a 1/2 mile in private ownership. ...map

May 19, 2004: The Stow Town Meeting unanimously passed Article 44, to spend $14,667 for the town's share of a 1998 federal and state grant to secure the right of way for some of Stow's portion of the Assabet River Rail Trail (ARRT). The easement will be for 7,100 linear feet of the original right of way, including 1,300 feet of Assabet riverfront, for a total 21 acres.

October 26, 2000: At press conference held by Senator Pam Resor, Senator Cheryl Jacques, &
Mass Highway Commissioner Matt Amorello announced the Mass Highway Board's vote-to
make available $654,280.00 for the acquisition side of the 1998 ISTEA grant. Stow and the other 4 communities will finally have funds to work with to secure the ARRT right of way. Stow's share of this amount is about $132,000.

July 11, 2000: The ARRT was incorporated as "ARRT Inc.", a Massachusetts registered non-profit organization.

June 15, 2000: Stow and the other 4 commmunities issued a RFP to hire a consultant to
prepare an up-to-date ARRT Master Plan. The plan would look at all the various ARRT segments,
refine the proposed trail alignment, identify how all the pieces fit into the bigger picture, develop cost estimates, and detail a phasing plan from now until the completion of the entire ARRT.

May 18, 1998: An article authorizing the Town of Stow to appropriate funds for the first phase of the rail trail project were passed at Town Meeting.

Avery Associates has begun the Stow appraisals that were authorized by the 1997 grant ARRT received for land acquisition.

April 1998: The ARRT received a grant of $3,000 from the Department of Environmental
Management's Greenways and Trails Demonstration Grant program. The grant was used to
conduct a natural resource inventory and assessment of the proposed ARRT route.

February 1998: Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for appraising the entire ARRT route including Stow, were advertised in local newspapers on February 19. Bids were opened on March 6. Determining the fair market value of the parcels comprising the ARRT route is a key step in securing the federal funds earmarked for acquisition.

December 1997: The federal government approved $17 million in funding for transportation enhancements in
Massachusetts, which included the grant proposal submitted by the five ARRT communities to
aquire the legal rights to the ARRT route.

May 1997: The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) recommended that the Assabet River Rail Trail receive funding in fiscal year 1998 to begin acquiring portions of the right-of-way of the former Marlborough Rail Line.

In a grant proposal submitted by the five ARRT communities (Marlborough, Hudson, Stow, Maynard,
and Acton), the towns would receive $668,000 to acquire the legal rights for the continuous 12.5
mile right-of-way.